's fusion of reggae and rap-metal was created in Omaha, Nebraska, where singer/guitarist
launched the group in 1990. Taking their name from the Omaha Police Department's code for indecent exposure, the quintet began gigging locally and soon moved to Los Angeles, signing with Capricorn Records in 1991.
then translated their regional success into national recognition with several key albums, including 1992's
), the latter of which reached number 12 on the album chart, sold three million copies in the U.S., and sported the hit tracks "All Mixed Up" and "Down."
In 1996, following a nonstop year of touring in support of
311, the band released Enlarged to Show Detail, a home video of live performances taken from amphitheater shows in Kansas City and Denver.
Transistor, a double album of new songs sandwiched onto one CD, arrived one year later and prompted the group's most ambitious tour yet. The album soon achieved platinum status, and the resulting show dates provided ample material for
Live, which was released in 1998 and captured the band's strength in concert. A year later,
311 returned with
Soundsystem before jumping to the Volcano label for the release of
From Chaos, which appeared in summer 2001.
Evolver appeared two years later; unlike its predecessors, however, the album failed to go gold or platinum.
By now,
311 had been together over ten years, and the band celebrated its decade-plus existence with the
Greatest Hits compilation. Released in July 2004, the album included all of
311's hit singles, several new tracks, and the band's reggae-tinged cover of
the Cure's "Love Song," which had originally appeared on the soundtrack to the
Adam Sandler film
50 First Dates.
311 presented new material in August 2005 with the
Don't Tread on Me LP, followed by an additional round of touring. Upon its completion, the road-weary musicians took a hiatus, their first break in nearly ten years.
311 soon returned to the studio, however, this time partnering with mega-producer
Bob Rock. Heralded by frontman
Nick Hexum as "the heaviest
311 has ever been," the resulting
Uplifter arrived in 2009. Rock returned in 2011 for the band's tenth studio, Universal Pulse.
–
Cub Koda, Rovi